Disney Cruise - Fun for ALL ages!

Disclosure: We sailed with Disney Cruise Line as a part of a media event. All opinions are my own.

We went on our first Disney Cruise not knowing exactly what to expect... and found out that there is something fun for ALL ages aboard the Disney Dream!

We recently had our very FIRST cruise experience on the Disney Dream and I've been excited to share all of the fun we had in our vlogs on YouTube! I wasn't quite sure what to expect since it was our first cruise experience all together, but I was pleased to find that I felt quite comfortable on the ship right away and that we quickly got our "sea legs"!

The ship was gorgeous and we made ourselves at home in the Oceanview Family Stateroom with Verandah that was located on Deck 9. The girls were ages 4 and 6 on this trip, and the bunk beds in the room worked perfectly for us to have a separate bed for each of the girls to sleep in! They were also both old enough to go to the supervised kid's activity center at the Oceaneer Club and Lab for ages 3-12. (I will be doing a full review of the Oceaneer Club and Lab in a future video and blog post!) They really enjoyed their time there, and especially Bella found it to be her favorite spot on the ship!

Disney made it easy to keep track of the schedule of events going on with the Disney Cruise Line app, that worked with our phones in airplane mode and running off the Disney Cruise Guest Wifi on the ship. The app had a schedule of events, deck plans to figure out which way to go quickly, and a great chat option that you could send messages to other people in your party on the ship through! We also had a paper "Navigator" with a schedule laid out on our bed each night for the following day, which was a quick and handy reference paper! Using these tools, we were easily able to pick out the events that suited us the most and work those in to our schedule!

Screenshot from our Dinner at Animator's Palate video, showing the app in use!

Very shortly into the cruise, I started to realize that this would be a vacation unlike any other vacation we had been on recently. There were a number of unique things about the trip that made it more of a relaxing vacation, and the girls being able to go to the Oceaneer Club was a GAME CHANGER... completely! My husband and I were able to get some quality time in together while the kids enjoyed programming specifically designed for them!

Our family especially loved Castaway Cay, exploring as a family and the girls' adored Scuttle's Cove, the on shore supervised kid's programming area. My husband and I were able to go snorkeling at the family beach while the girls played at Scuttle's Cove. It was so much fun, and I would definitely love to try snorkeling again!

Snorkel ready!

When I first arrived at the Disney Dream I didn't know exactly what to expect from our first cruise ever, but I came away from our trip with a better understanding of the wide variety of activities and entertainment on the Disney Dream Cruise, and that there really is something aboard for everyone!! I had the wonderful opportunity to film this video while on the ship the day we were docked at Castaway Cay, and I hope you come away from watching the video with a sense of the wide variety of amenities that are available on the ship!

I've had so much fun reliving all of our adventures on the Disney Dream in our daily vacation vlogs on YouTube! We had an amazing time and I'm looking forward to planning another magical Disney cruise in the future!

Check out all of our Disney Dream Vacation Vlogs on one handy playlist on YouTube!!

LINK

I met some lovely ladies on the Disney Dream that shared their thoughts about the experience on their blogs too! Check out their thoughts below!

Tessa from MamaSmiths.com has 5 Tips for Disney Cruising with Preschoolers.

Jessica from YoungatHeartMommy.com shares her 10 Reasons to Sail on the Disney Dream.

Candy from CandyPalooza.com is missing all of the fun in her Coming Home from a Disney Cruise post.

** We cruised with Disney as a part of a media event. We received complimentary airfare, cruise stateroom and activities as a part of the event. All opinions are my own.

Sneak Peek! Disney Dream Caribbean Cruise!!

Check out a sneak peek of our Disney Cruise! I love doing these overview videos, because it gives you a little idea of what you will see in upcoming videos! Disney Dream Cruise videos will be running all week long, and I'll be sharing what we did on each day of the vacation!

From the amazing dinners, to snorkeling and the laid back beach experience... we will be sharing it all! Then wrapping it up with a series of review videos and answering your viewer requests!

Here are the different videos you'll see in this vacation series! YouTube upload dates that you can expect that episode to be live on are in parentheses! Click the link to watch the video on YouTube!

Cruise Day 1-  Fly to Orlando & Embarkation  

Cruise Day 1 - Dinner at Animator's Palate, meeting Rapunzel, and the Golden Mickeys! 

Cruise Day 2 - Breakfast & docking at Nassau, Mickey's Puzzle Playtime 

Cruise Day 2 - Pool time and Princess & Pirate Dance Party, Meeting Pirate Mickey 

Cruise Day 2 - Mickey's Pirates IN the Caribbean Deck Party, Dinner at Palo, & Buccaneer Blast Fireworks Show 

Cruise Day 3 - Meeting Princesses (Anna, Elsa, Snow White, Cinderella, Rapunzel, & Belle), and Castaway Cay!
SPECIAL CRUISE EXPERIENCE VIDEO! 

Cruise Day 3 - Snorkeling Experience 

Cruise Day 3 - Dinner at Royal Palace & Packing! 

Cruise Day 4 - See ya real soon, leaving the ship and heading home!! 

Disney Dream Cruise Video Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiFP1-yFEAlkhzPwScgWHxs1XHXKquyrz

It was a jam packed few days and I cannot wait to share all of the FUN!

** We cruised with Disney as a part of a media event. We received complimentary airfare, cruise stateroom and activities as a part of the event. All opinions are my own.

Get ready to SET SAIL! Our DISNEY DREAM CRUISE Experience!

I'm so excited to bring you our most recent vacation video series, of our FIRST CRUISE experience - which also happened to be a Disney Cruise!! (Hooray!) We set sail on the Disney Dream during the second week of August and it was our very first cruise experience for the entire family. The girls truly had no idea what to expect since they had never seen a cruise ship in real life before, and their reaction to seeing the cruise ship for the first time was just as magical as I anticipated it would be!

Thank you to Disney Cruise Lines for inviting us to be a part of a media event aboard the ship! We received complimentary airfare, stateroom, and activities as a part of the event. All opinions are my own!

The Disney Dream on August 12, 2016 before leaving Port Canaveral.

As always with my vacation video series, I will bring you a planning and prep series on YouTube prior to our vacation vlogs, a full set of "day in the life" style videos of our trip while we are sailing, and a series of wrap up & review videos at the end talking about our favorite parts of the trip, shopping haul, cruising with preschoolers, things to do aboard the ship just for adults, and answering questions you have about the Disney cruise experience!

The girls loved helping pick out their Pirate Night outfits!

The cruise was a 4 day/3 night voyage that took us to Nassau, Bahamas and Disney's private island Castaway Cay, also in the Bahamas.

Sneak peek from our Castaway Cay day... it was just as amazing as it looks!!

It included all of the Disney magic you would expect from a Disney vacation experience, great themed dining, fun pool areas, and character interactions - as well as a number of great opportunities to relax and unwind... as a family - and for adults only! The girls loved the supervised children's activity areas on the ship, Oceaneer Club and Lab, and Scuttle's Cove on Castaway Cay! This gave my husband and I an opportunity to explore the ship, take in shows, eat dinner, and go snorkeling - while the kids enjoyed programs specifically designed for them in the secure and supervised activity centers with the Disney Youth Team! This really provided a unique element to our vacation that we hadn't had before!

After our vacation vlogs run, I will be sure to check in with a trip recap, shopping haul, and specific reviews of different areas on the ship! This post is just a little sneak peek of all of the fun that is to come on my channel! Be sure to check the playlists to watch new Disney Cruise videos as they are added!

Playlist will update as new videos are added daily!
Disney Dream Cruise Packing & Prep Videos Playlist:

COMING NEXT WEEK on Being Mommy with Style... Disney Dream Cruise Vacation Vlogs!


I'm looking forward to sharing all of the fun we had while aboard the Disney Dream Cruise! It was truly a fantastic experience like no other!

** We cruised with Disney as a part of a media event. We received complimentary airfare, cruise stateroom and activities as a part of the event. All opinions are my own.

Back to School Fashion for Moms!

It's back to school time! Some of you have already back to school for a few weeks, while here in Michigan, we still have 3 weeks of summer left and don't head back until September! (Not rubbing that in, I promise!)

I have already begun thinking about what supplies and prep items we need to be getting for around the house and at school though. I had been using this learning space in our home for summer learning, and this will transition to be a great homework space for my new 1st grader this year... homework will be something all new at our house!

Check out the tour of our homework space for younger kids on YouTube:

Our needs for school supplies to actually bring into school are fairly minimal this year, since our school participates in a supply order that we completed at the end of last school year. Bella will show up to school and there will magically be a box of supplies waiting at her desk for her. So while I will definitely miss the supplies shopping because it's always been a favorite activity of mine - it does take one thing off my "To Do" list.

What about the moms though? Often times, at this time of year we are running around getting everything in order for everyone else and we forget about ourselves. I think Back to School time is a great time to freshen up our OWN wardrobe, as well as the kids' - and I'm also planning on taking a few extra breaks to keep my new gel nails filled in, which seriously warrant their own post.... but they are amazing. I had them put on for our Disney Cruise and it was the first time trying them out - two weeks of great looking nails, no chipping, no peeling... I think that gel polish will become my new nail standard!

For my wardrobe, I've been loving loose flowly looks, neutrals, and creams mixed with tans! My Sanuk yoga bottom sandals have been worn a TON this summer and I'm also loving the cross body purse that I purchased from Nordstrom's for our cruise and plan to use that into the back to school time frame as well.

Here's a mash up I made on Polyvore of some of my favorite Back to School picks for MOMS!

Back to School Fashion for Moms!

What are you looking forward to for back to school? Do you have a fashion wishlist for yourself right now?

At Home Stores Shopping Challenge: Giving My Office a Makeover for Back to School!

I am excited to have partnered with At Home Stores to bring you this post! I received a $100 gift card to give my office area a makeover for back to school in addition to compensation. Come shop with me in my #AtHomeStores shopping video and check out the results of my back to school #CollegeMoveIn challenge!

At Home Store in Utica, MI

This was my first time shopping in the At Home store in my area - they have a large retail space off of M-59 in northeast metro Detroit - and I was excited to see what I would find in store. When we entered I noticed right away that they had displays of similar toned items grouped together to give you inspiration, which I loved, and they also had a helpful take away map area to keep you guided through the store. This came in handy!

We set off with back to school in mind and I wanted to find some great items to refresh my office space! My office also doubles as a filming space for YouTube videos, and makes a great reading nook space as well! I hope this give you some inspiration for refreshing your own office space, or perhaps a great sitting area in a dorm or college apartment!

I was also excited to see that they were starting to place Fall and holiday decor, but was determined to stay focused! (Those items would have to wait for a future shopping trip!) I did love the "Seas and Greetings" section in the holiday section though, and just had to sneak that in to share!

SEAS and Greetings to you!

We found tons of great organization containers, bins, and clear acrylic drawer systems. The clear acrylic drawers are some of my favorite organizational elements, because they are so easy to use and see everything that you've placed inside. We use these in our house for everything from hair ties to washi tape, and they just work great!

Great organization elements!

Throughout the store, I was particularly enamored with the great small table selection! Everywhere I went, there were adorable tables of all shapes, sizes, and colors - and this really drove my inspiration for how to makeover my office! I found about 3 in particular that I loved, but eventually narrowed it down to a great silver and chevron style table that I thought would work PERFECTLY in my office! It only had legs on one side, so could easily be pushed up to a chair to hold a book, my phone, and more!

Tables galore!

They also had a fantastic pillow selection and I saw a ton of great styles I could use throughout my home. When I went down the aisle with predominantly pink and purple pillows, I was particularly struck by a lilac colored pillow with the phrase "inspire" on it... This really stood out to me and immediately went in the cart! A short while later down the aisle I found some great purple ombre pillows that I thought complimented the look and I was set - pillows it was!!

To finish off the space (and my gift card!) - I was drawn to a great selection of faux topiary pieces in all spaces and sizes. I picked a rounded style that I thought would go great in my room and I loved that it had a bit of a purple accent in the plants to tie everything together!

This was my finished office space, given a makeover to Inspire!

Check out my shopping trip on my YouTube Channel - and don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe! Thank you to At Home Stores for this great shopping experience - and I will be back for some holiday decor shopping VERY soon!

* This was a sponsored post in collaboration with At Home Stores and BSM Media. I received compensation for this collaboration. All opinions are my own and I hope you love the look I came up with!

Having Fun with Summer Learning!! Preschool & Young Grade School Aged Activities!

The days have finally warmed up here in Michigan and summer is in full effect! We've spent lots of time at the zoo, splash pad, beach, and just plain enjoying being outside. The warmer days were welcomed after our cold winters here. I also like to add in a good helping of summer learning at our house, just to keep all of our brains active and our hands busy, the kids love to craft so that comes naturally and especially my older daughter loves worksheets and projects - so it feels more like fun than a task to be done.

Schools out for summer!

Fun at the beach!

I went back to my routine of having a themed work of learning which worked out really well when I did Preschool at Home projects with the girls. (Check out our Preschool at Home playlists HERE.) Each week we have a different theme that our activities center around, and we may do reading, crafts, writing, field trips and more that revolve around that theme.

Finding Dory water sensory bin!

One of my favorite activities to do whether it is summer learning or preschool at home, are the construction paper letter animals and objects! These became a staple during our preschool at home weeks and really helped the girls learn their letters. I've incorporated them occasionally into our summer learning now that the girls are older even though they know their letters because they are so fun to make and the girls enjoy playing with their creations after they are dry!

Watch a video showing an A-Z overview of our Alphabet Crafts:

So far in early summer, we have completed an Under the Sea theme which was great to work in Finding Dory activities and even go see the movie in the theater that week!  We made a water sensory bin with Orbeez water beads and placed some foam Finding Dory bath tub toys into the water to make a fun under the sea sensory bin!

We also revisited another one of my all time favorite crafts and made the "paper plate fish tank" craft over again!

During Rainforest week, Bella dived into reading the American Girl Lea books, where the Girl of the Year 2016 spends time learning in the rainforest. (Bella is 6, but reading at approximately a 2nd grade level so she has begun working on beginning chapter books.) We made an adorable rainforest layers craft, read rainforest related books, visited the Rainforest Immersion area at the Detroit Zoo, and even had lunch at Rainforest Cafe!

Visiting the Rainforest Immersion area at Detroit Zoo.

And a week all about America, where we talked about some basic concepts in our country, celebrated the 4th of July, and made some awesome clothespin wreath decorations!

Bella's cute "summer themed" clothes pin wreath she crafted!

It was been a great summer so far and we have lots more fun... and even a few exciting SURPRISES planned as well!! I can't wait to share them with you!

American Girl Wellie Wisher Haul!

We were very excited to hear about the all new line from American Girl, specifically designed for girls in the "inbetween" age range - that may be outgrowing wanting to play with baby dolls... but aren't quite ready for the full 18" world quite yet. American Girl recently released the new Wellie Wisher in June 2016 and we wanted to share what we thought about our first order!

Check out our HAUL here!

My girls are ages 4 and 6, and the younger one, Natalie, especially LOVES dolls - all dolls. I knew they would be a hit with her, but with my older daughter, Bella, I was interested to see how she took to the Wellie Wishers line because she's not typically my "doll girl". My girls had been introduced to the 18" dolls and world within the past year, because Bella had never really had an interest in playing with "baby type" dolls, however the 18" dolls and accessories did grab her interest. She liked playing with dolls that she could relate to and were in a stage "more like her".

The girls picked out Willa and Ashlyn for their first two Wellie Wisher dolls, we also ordered two accessory sets, the Nature Explorer set and Berry Sweet Snack Set - along with the Garden Party table and Play stage. As a parent, I was most nervous about ordering the stage because I wasn't sure how much use it would get, but I DID like that it was very different from anything else we had for our dolls.

The stage turned out to be a great accessory for us, and is getting a lot of use. My older daughter loves to sing and perform, so I've seen a lot of creativity with her doll putting on shows on the stage!

My younger daughter who loves all things dolls, of course loved everything instantly - but especially took to the table and berry sweet snack set. Those were good options for her and general play!

We also ordered the wellie boots and socks (that were on backorder at the time of receiving our order), the girls are looking forward to being able to interchange the socks. Also, I would highly recommend sizing up on the boots especially if you're on a size line - my younger daughter wears a size 9 and we ordered her the 10/11 boot that has a good fit and my older daughter wears a size 13 typically, we ordered her a size 1/2 which also fits well.

Also, it should be noted that the girls were quite familiar with the 18" American Girl dolls prior to seeing this line and enjoy playing with those as well - although admittedly the size scale sometimes seems a bit harder for them to maneuver with the 18" dolls. However, they haven't forgone playing with their 18" dolls and accessories since we got the Wellie Wishers. Lea and her accessories are still getting a lot of play time at our house even after receiving the Wellie Wishers, along with their two Truly Me dolls and modern accessories.

Want to see what the girls thought about Lea's accessories? Check out this video on their channel!

All in all, American Girl items get a LOT of play time at our house and have been great for the girls to use their imaginations! I think the Wellie Wisher line is great for their age group and I look forward to adding more Wellie Wisher items and dolls into our collection soon. We still will continue to use our 18" doll items, but I think we will slow down a bit on adding the bigger sized items for a while and I'm happy that we have another option for size appropriate play!